LOTRO’s Rivendell housing opens April 23, and Brian “Zombie Columbus” Aloisio is back

The Lord of the Rings Online is getting its new Rivendell Steadings premium housing neighborhood this week. Update 48 goes live Wednesday, April 22, and the housing area itself opens the next day, April 23, at noon Eastern, according to the official post.

The timing also lines up with the start of LOTRO’s 19th anniversary celebration, which begins shortly before the Rivendell housing unlocks on Thursday.

For players who’ve been waiting on the new neighborhood, the main thing to know is that Update 48 and the housing launch are split across two days. The patch lands first, then the premium housing opens separately the following day.

There was also a bit of studio news alongside that. Former Turbine developer Brian “Zombie Columbus” Aloisio said he’s back on the LOTRO team in a post on the official forums. Aloisio was one of the more recognizable names from the game’s earlier years and worked on systems including skirmishes.

Standing Stone Games hasn’t shared anything more here about what Aloisio’s return means for future updates, but longtime LOTRO players will probably recognize the name right away.